Nellie Lisa Melles, 2nd Baroness Burton (née Bass, formerly Baillie; 27 December 1873 – 28 May 1962) was a British heiress and art collector. She succeeded her father as the second

Baron Burton Baron Burton, of Burton upon Trent, Burton-on-Trent and of Rangemore, Staffordshire, Rangemore in the Staffordshire, County of Stafford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1897 for the prominent brewer, philant ...

Early life and family

Lady Burton was born Nellie Lisa Bass on 27 December 1873 in Rangemore to Michael Bass, a brewer and Liberal politician, and Harriett Georgina Thronewill, an heiress of the Thornewill and Warham company. Lady Burton's grandfather,

Michael Thomas Bass Michael Thomas Bass, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (6 July 1799 – 29 April 1884) was an English brewer and a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament. Under his leadership, the Bass Brewery became the largest brewery in the world, ...

, served in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

. Her great-great grandfather, William Bass, founded

Bass Brewery Bass Brewery () was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an an ...

. Her father was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

in the

County of Stafford Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands cou ...

, by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1882. In 1886, he was created the first

Adult life

In 1894, she married Colonel James Evan Bruce Baillie, of Dochfour in

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire () or the County of Inverness, is a Counties of Scotland, historic county in Scotland. It is named after Inverness, its largest settlement, which was also the county town. Covering much of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and s ...

, with whom she had three children. Upon her first marriage, she received a gold

snuff box A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...

from the

Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles; 26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904) was a member of the British royal family, a grandson of King George III and cousin of Queen Victoria. The Duke was an army officer by professio ...

. Her husband died in 1931. She married a second time to Major William Eugene Melles. Her second husband died in 1953. As her father had no sons, Lady Burton succeeded her father, as a hereditary peeress by virtue of a

special remainder In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon the ...

from 1897, as the second Baron Burton in 1909. She and her mother lived in

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...

following her father's death. She was an art collector and consigned woven tapestries from 1760 and 1783 that were designed by Jean-François de Troy. She also owned two sculptures, of a nymph and of cupid, designed by Étienne-Maurice Falconet. She sold Chesterfield House to Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles in 1919 and

Rangemore Hall Rangemore is a village in the borough of East Staffordshire, situated approximately west of the town of Burton upon Trent, on a ridge of high ground about a mile due west of the village of Tatenhill where the population from the United Kingdom ...

to the Staffordshire County Council in 1949. Lady Burton died in 1962. Her son, Brigadier George Evan Michael Baillie, was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, leaving her to be succeeded to the barony by her grandson,

Michael Baillie, 3rd Baron Burton Michael Evan Victor Baillie, 3rd Baron Burton Deputy Lieutenant, DL (27 June 192430 May 2013) was a British peer. The son of George Evan Michael Baillie and Maud Louisa Emma Cavendish, he was a maternal grandson of the Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melles, Nellie 1873 births 1962 deaths Barons Burton Bass family (United Kingdom) Baillie family British art collectors British baronesses Daughters of barons Daughters of baronets Hereditary women peers People from Burton upon Trent People from the Borough of East Staffordshire Spouses of British politicians British women art collectors